**UPDATE** Sunday Jan 27th

Hi everyone -

We found out last minute that Brian McLaren is in Columbus this weekend, and we figured this would be a great gathering for the cohort. Therefore, no afternoon gathering at the Schroeder's house. Instead, please see the information below regarding McLaren speaking at Broad St. Presbyterian Church.

It seems that several people will be definitely be attending the 11:00am service, and a few might also attend the 9:45 session in between services.

January 27, 2013

"The Commonwealth of God and a Colony of Caesar"

Rev. Brian McLaren

8:45 a.m. Worship

11:00 a.m. Worship

9:45 a.m.: Brian McLaren

Childcare Available

COTF, Jan. 20

Hello everyone,

This Sunday, the 20th at 5:00, there will be a Celebration of the Faithful at my house. It will be a service of some kind, followed by a potluck. As always, I'll post on the blog and please write what you are going to contribute.

Regarding the service - I don't have much of an idea yet, and I've got a couple big applications due next week, so I'm a little short on time. I can definitely do something, but I thought I would throw it out there and see if anyone wanted to run the service part? If you've got an idea send me a message and we'll figure it out.

Have a good week and hopefully I'll see you all this weekend!

Nick

Sunday January 6 Gathering

It is the new year, so time for a new gathering! We will be meeting at the Schroeder's house on Sunday, January 6th at 3pm. We'll probably take the first hour or so to catch up, share holiday stories, and just chat. Then we will watch the next episode of the Animate: Faith DVD series. This episode is by Shane Hipps and is entitled "Salvation: Abundant Life Now" -

Hope to see everyone! If you need more info or directions feel free to email Jesse (schroeder.jesse@gmail.com)

Advent

Advent has become one my favorite times of the year.  It allows me to remember and honor a quiet waiting in the darkness and fills my heart with hope.

My favorite thing about the Christmas story is that it depicts how gently Jesus came into to the world.  You would never have known unless you happened to look for a star or unless you happened to listen for angels singing.

You would never have known Jesus came unless you entered into this magical event with awakened eyes, awakened hearts, awakened minds.

Jesus--the embodiment of that rare combination of sorrow and sweetness.

 

I write to tell you that my circumstances have turned once again.  My husband left his part time job he had held only three months because he could not physically continue.  It was causing him more damage than staying brought good.

So I find myself back in the darkness of adversity and uncertainty once more. 

It feels the same as it did the times before.  Those old familiar feelings rise up of being lost, angry, overwhelmed and helpless.  Pride and selfishness storm in. Vicious judgments circle and threaten…You can’t go through this again.  You’re not going to make ends meet now.  Debt is your only choice.  Run away from this.  You can’t do it.

I have tasted adversity often enough to know and expect its bitterness, stench and poisonous affects.  But I know of its sweetness as well.  It is the place I become most vulnerable most human.  It is the place that I always know I will find Jesus and I follow.  We have done this together before.

This darkness is not the same because I am different.  This darkness is not the same because of those of you who love me.  This darkness is not the same because my husband has awakened eyes, an awakened heart and an awakened mind.

This darkness is not the same because

I am heard

I am known

I am loved

I am found

 
With my deepest gratitude, I thank you and know you are for me.
Nancy

Christmas Party!!

The annual cohort Christmas Super-Fun Night is this Sunday! (Yes, you *should* be excited)

Join us at the Schroeder's house (2406 Altenburg Ct) from 5-9 for food, drink, merriment, singing, maybe a little dancing, and some party games (hopefully Pictionary!!)

Everyone is welcome, including kids and family. Please post if you will be bringing a food or drink item to share.

Looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating!

Animate : Faith - Discussion #4

This Sunday from 3-5pm at the Schroeder's house, we will have another Animate Faith discussion, this time after watching a video by Shane Hipps. The video clip is entitled "Salvation: Abundant Life Now."

We are looking forward to seeing everyone! If you need more information or directions, feel free to email or call/text (schroeder.jesse@gmail.com or 557.5768)

Animate Faith Discussion: Sunday, November 18

Tomorrow we will meet at 1:00 PM at Nikki & Ian's to discuss another segment of Animate Faith. Mark Scandrette will discuss Jesus | The Revolution of Love. 

From the guide:

In the last session, Lillian asserted her belief that spirituality is not enough. In this session, Mark guides us to think differently about living in Jesus' way. It began with a moment of truth: Mark realized that his sermons weren't doing anything important. What to do?!?! He decided to make a church a place of practice rather than just belief and learning. The rest is history.

Hope to see you there! Email ian at ian.r.cohoon@gmail.com for directions.

HURRICAIN SANDY RELIEF

Just wanted everyone to be aware I have a friend with a ministry to the poor and homeless based out of  Flushing,  NY.  Most of their work is in NYC.  They are pouring all there efforts into providing relief to victims of Sandy.  Of course that takes $$$.  If anyone is wanting to help but not sure where to send help because you're not sure a particular outfit is legit I can vouch for Street Life Ministries.

love to all

Scot

http://www.streetlife.org/donate.html



https://www.facebook.com/SLM.NYC

11-11-12: Operation Christmas Child

Hey everyone -

For this week's gathering we will be doing the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes again (this has become a much-loved Cohort tradition)

If you aren't familiar with the program, check out the website here. Basically, we will purchase small items to pack into a shoebox that will be sent to a child in an impoverished country that otherwise would not receive any Christmas presents.

It's simple. It's fun. It's a small way to make a big difference around the world (8 million shoeboxes were delivered last year alone)

We will meet at Kara and Adam's house at 3:00pm. We'll travel to Target (or similar store) together, purchase items to put in the shoeboxes, and then come back to the house. We'll pack the boxes together, maybe have a short reflection about Advent, and just hang out and have a good time.

Please bring a shoebox and wrapping paper and supplies if you have them.  We will probably have some here to share, as well.  

There is a $7 shipping fee required for each box. Also, it can cost up to $40 for the items in each box. If you are unable to cover the full cost, please still come and hang out. We can combine items and "share" a box. It's still a fun, simple thing to do together. This is also a great activity to do with children. 

I will be making some soup in the crock pot as well if you want to stay and hang out for dinner when we are done wrapping our presents. 

Hope to see everyone on Sunday! Please comment if you need our address.

Stories that Compost : Web-gathering This Sunday

Hi everyone -

I am very excited for our gathering this Sunday, Nov 4, 5pm, at Scot and Mary Miller's house. Not only will we be enjoying some of Mary's amazing cooking, but our topic will be Stories that Compost - a "web-gathering" with Melvin Bray. Melvin will be joining us via Google+ web-chat from Atlanta to offer a more in depth look into the idea behind Stories that Compost. Some of us had the opportunity to attend Melvin's workshop in D.C. and we've shared the idea with the group in a few gatherings since. But this will be a chance for us to hear about the ideas from Melvin himself, practice re-writing (composting) a story together, and discovering this exciting way to engage with Scripture.

We'll connect with Melvin from 5-6pm. If you can't make the meeting, you can join the Google+ hangout from a webcam and computer at your location (you'll need a google+ account). After the web-gathering, we will have  a potluck dinner. Please plan to bring a side dish or a drink to share. **Update: Mary will be making enchiladas as the main dish.** 

Hope to see everyone this Sunday! If you need more information or directions, you can email me (Jesse) at schroeder.jesse@gmail.com or Scot at scooterg55@yahoo.com

Community Night Sunday

The Cohoons will be hosting community night this Sunday, October 28 at 5:00. I will probably be making a soup. Please bring a dish, dessert, or drink to share and post in the comments what you plan on bringing. Nikki will be out of town, so it will be just me. I look forward to sharing.

Check your email for our address, or contact me at ian.r.cohoon@gmail.com

Animate Faith Discussion on 10/21/12

Tomorrow we will meet at 3:00 PM (changed from original 1:00PM) at Adam and Kara Newby's house to watch another Animate Faith video and discuss. This week Lillian Daniel will speak about reclaiming religion (see preview below). From the Facilitator Guide:

"Brian McLaren encouraged us [in the last video] to reflect on what it means to be embarked on a quest for God. In this session, Lillian Daniel helps us reclaim religion, saying that spirituality is not enough. Lillian encourages us to root ourselves in the depths of the Christian tradition - its history and texts, beliefs, and practices."

I think this will be a particularly rich (and perhaps challenging) topic for me as I have recently questioned the need for these traditions in my own life. While for others in our community, these traditions are very important.

If you need directions, please email adam.f.newby@gmail.com or call 614-388-8947.

I look forward to the discussion. And the more people we have, the richer the discussion. So please don't hesitate to come if you've never been to one of our discussions.

CotF Update

Our little cohort has come a long way in the past few years. While we began primarily to discuss theological issues, we have since experienced the joy of new life together, and the pain of death. This Sunday will center around the figure that for two-thousand years Christians have contemplated, the Virgin Mary. She experienced great joy at the birth of Jesus, and great pain at his crucifixion. But she is also a figure of hope, as she brought the Son of God, and salvation, into the world.

We will read texts about Mary from the Bible, as well as prayers that have been written to her over the centuries. We will listen to a few of the most beautiful Marian compositions ever written. Most importantly, we will pray for each other as we share each other's joy, pain, and hope.

The service will start at 5:00, and we will have a potluck at 6:00.

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with You.
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.

Celebration of the Faithful

Hi Everyone,

This Sunday I am hosting a COTF at my house (299 E 9th Ave) at 5:00. We will have a time of worship and (much needed) prayer. This is a potluck, so please bring some food or drink to share if you are able. Please comment with what you will be able to contribute so there isn't too much overlap.

I look forward to seeing you all,

Nick

"God: Faith is a Quest"

"God: Faith is a Quest" is the title of the first DVD session of the Animate: Faith series we'll be starting this week. The speaker is Brian McLaren. You may have heard of him, or perhaps even met him :)

We will be meeting at the Schroeder's house from 3pm-5pm on Sunday Oct. 7th, watch the DVD clip (about 10 minutes) and have a discussion. There is no planned meal, but feel free to bring cookies, popcorn, snacks or drinks if you would like.

If you have questions, need directions, or feel nervous about coming to a meeting at someone's home and wanna talk to us - call/text Jesse @ 614.557.5768

Here is a brief preview: